Great Sites! Enjoy A Double Hit of Teaching Propositions

Sometimes, usually on rainy Thursdays - like today,  I can spend hours skimming through my favorite Internet sites for next week's teaching inspiration and find nothing to turn my rain-induced mental frown upside down.

Other times, my surfing strikes my Enthusiasm Jackpot Bell. One of the items that makes my Creative Muse clunk me on my brain and exclaim, "Need inspiration? Check these out for ideas!" isn't even in the Lesson Up! category...until now.

But before I get to it, I just have to talk about this huge Home Run  Planning Double,

Inspiration Ball #1 - Simply Novel's 2016 Spring Catalog.

This catalog is 22 pages of ELA teacher-planning nirvana. Kristen Bowers has long been recognized for her excellent secondary ELA material on her Simply Novel website and in her TpT store Simply Novel Secondary Solutions.    She created this catalog to showcase the abundance of awesome products offered by other ELA Sellers in their TpT stores..Pre-K-2 teachers should browse the

incredible offerings on pages 4-6; Grades 2-5 teachers will find fantastic material on pages 7-10; pages 11-13 offer exciting lessons to those who lead Grades 3-6; teachers in the Grades 6-12 range will sigh blissfully as they peruse pages 3, and pages 14-19; educators whose concentration is Grades 9-12 will find pages 20 & 21 the equivalent of a teacher candy store, and Special Ed teachers' eyes will glow when they see page 12. 

Every product links to its own page in the teacher seller's TpT store. If you want to check out a Seller's complete Store, each ad has a store link for that, too.  Finally, you will find a Seller Index on page 22..

As if this isn't enough to bring out the sunshine, a lucky teacher will win a Flash Drive  full of  ELA plans. Check out the information on the top of page 16, and then click on the Red Arrow in the ad for this cornucopia of Freebies.This offer ends on 7/1/2016.

Inspiration Ball #1 - Amazing Geologist Photographic Bonanza
All of these images are from Amazing Geologist photos

Yesterday, a friend put this picture on Facebook. It knocked the breath out of me, and then followed that reaction by constantly pinging my brain with teaching ideas. The first brain flash I had was to make it my Screen Saver, so I did. My second was to wonder if Chris McCandless from Into the Wild (Jon Krakauer) would have trekked off to Alaska if he came upon this magnificence, Would Meursault from Albert Camus' The Stranger have held onto his existential, "The world is random, chaotic and absurd," views if he gazed upon this design? Those are just two thoughts that I'd mention to my students as I shared these images during their reading.

And then I clicked onto this incredible picture by Ruth Hager offering a close-up of some petrified wood in the Crystal Forest, a part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Now, I'd love Chico's to create one of their flowing-sleeved ponchos with this design.   But what item of clothing would Janie from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God want using this colorful motif? I can't even imagine what kind of firestorm would occur if a character from The Crucible (Arthur Miller) showed up in Salem strutting this colorful skirt.

This Elephant Rock formation in New Zealand makes my mind conjure up a mythological  story for its existence, Was this elephant turned into a rock for defying the GREAT PACHYDERM?

and, I wonder if this rockin' breakfast plate is a relic from  a volcanic eruption, and was discovered by a future geologist searching for the Great American Lost Diner.

Any of the multitude of, "WOW!" photos in this link could be used as 

1. Mental stretches for Warm-Up or Closure time
2. Story Starters
3. Poetry Generators
4. Descriptive writing topics
5. What If ?writings. For example how would a Setting, Plot or a Character from a novel be affected if the author had included the actual place or object in one of the pictures in the novel students were reading? Maybe the picture would set a different Tone/atmosphere, or the location/object would be a major Symbol or the basis for the Theme.
6. Inspiration for a personal essay for college applications, or
7. Stimulus for a song, or a movie or a play or a painting.

Surely, this smoky quartz from the Haramosh Mountains in Pakistan conjures up images of a futuristic city in a dystopian novel, (imagine it without the hand).

Take a moment and flip through these images, and let them spark your Lesson Idea Muse or jumpstart a brainstorming session with your colleagues. Hopefully  these images will offer you some terrific lesson ideas for the following weeks.

To truly save your weekends for the rest of your school year, be sure to check out Kristen Bower's Simply Novel Spring Catalog. Just go to Simply Novel and click on the blue-backed ELA Products Galore *Brand New Catalog* picture like the one I shared in this post.

Enjoy a Teach It Now Day Every Day,

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Connie

Make a Home for the Unit Plan-'Neverhome'

Image from Amazon  http://amzn.to/1NF0O71

From the first page of Neverhome by Laird Hunt, I was mesmerized. Was my absorption due to

~the first line, “I was strong and he was not, so it was me went to war to defend the republic”? 

~ the knowledge that women masqueraded as men to fight in the Civil War?

~ Laird Hunt’s ability to spin mere words into vivid and emotional word pictures, such as, “…but there had been a bite of sorrows in that empty place made me glad to think we had found another spot and weren’t going to return,” (21)? As an avid reader, I give three solid, “Yes” votes to these questions.

As a teacher, I appreciate the societal/cultural links, as well as the reasons why this 243-page novel provides a rich cross-curriculum unit of study that secondary school English and Social Studies teachers may share.

Societal/ Cultural Links

~ Constance Thompson, AKA Ash Thompson, is a woman who succeeds in a man’s world, though she has to disguise herself as a man to do so.  The two recent graduates of Ranger School, First Lieutenant Shaye Haver, and Captain Kristen Griest also excelled in a – previously -men’s only domain.

~ Some reasons for the Civil War, from both Northern and Southern Points of View are presented.

~ The interpretation of historical persons, places and things as well as their symbolic meanings is timely.

Cross Curriculum Ideas

~English teachers can share elements of literature activities such as Character, Plot/Conflict and Theme with social studies teachers.

~ Social Studies teachers may share activities that deepen students understanding of the people and places of the Civil War, especially those that are shown- with literary license- in this novel.

~ English and Social Studies teachers could “guest teach” in each other’s classes.

What does this 103-page Unit Plan: Neverhome  offer teachers?

Here is a shortened version of the Table of Contents:

Objectives and Teacher Notes

A Unit Activity Plan (specifies the Common Core Anchor Standards and 

Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs for each activity)

Pre-Reading – What Do I Know?  How Do I Know It?                                                      

Research Project

Debate Project

Historical Footnotes

Vocabulary Activity

Section Analysis Activity (3-pages; one set is designated for every reading division section

that I created- three each for the author’s book divisions that he names, One, Two and Three.)

Group Activity –Ash’s Journey 1862-1864    

Character Activities (6)

Plot/Conflict Activities (5)

Setting Activity - Setting Up Ash(1)

Symbols Activities (2)

Theme Activities (2)

Tone Activity (1)                                                                                            

Figurative Language Activity

                 

Points to Ponder/Discussion Topics (10)

Essay Topics (8)

Project Topics (9)

Assessments/Division Quiz

Assessments Unit Test

Answer Keys: Historical Footnotes, Vocabulary, Neverhome Unit Test

This product, Unit Plan - Neverhome,  provides a plethora of teacher notes, activities and assessments that enable students to ~deepen their reading comprehension and their understanding of the Civil War and its impact on contemporary society.

~grasp the fact that what happens in the past always impacts the future

~ strengthen their writing depth and their higher level thinking skills, and, to

~ create lifelong readers and learners.

Download it from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Unit-Plan-NeverhomeLaird-Hunt-2053138

Enjoy a Teach it Now Day, Every Day

Follower Advantage

For an automatic Heads-Up! email about Updated and New  products, and also for Sales and other promotions, please click on the Follow Me star under my Store Name, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Connie

                                                                               

               

Make the Most of May with this Independent Novel Study Plan

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

These lessons students want to complete

When the crazy testing schedules of May

Cause learning to take a back seat.

(Thanks to Lewis Carroll for his Jabberwocky inspiration)

Between  A.P. exams and the state standards of learning tests, May is a crazy month to teach. In my three decades teaching at the secondary level, every day anywhere from three-fifteen students missed English class due to the testing schedule. Plus, my colleagues and I had to monitor tests during our "Free" periods. Keeping teenagers inspired and the learning momentum smooth while maintaining my sanity made this month of May not so very merry.

Before I created Making the Most of May, trying to teach that one final required novel unit before the school year ended, while making sure that all of the students were up-to-date with their class work, was nearly impossible. 

I likened it to putting a straw hat upside down on the floor, tossing 25 balls in the air and waiting to see which ones made it into the hat without my being clobbered.

With this independent study plan, though, students are responsible for completing the assignments and projects and for being prepared with the work that they have finished for the mini-conferences. This enables them to be the leaders of their learning while the teacher takes an advisory roll.

The lessons and activities included in this packet ensure that the learning doesn't stop just because test review and reinforcement is done. Plus, students not only know that their fourth quarter grade is dependent on their work, but also they truly are engaged and inspired because they chose what to read and what assignments to complete.

The flexible plan takes absences due to testing into consideration, too, since students choose the novel that they will study, and they also create a daily reading and writing calendar that coincides with their scheduled exams and the teacher’s due dates. This creates a learning environment that engages students and promotes responsibility.  

To begin, teachers have two options. They may select six to eight grade-level novels from the book room for students to choose to read - up tp 4 students may opt to read the same book, or students may choose a book that meets the teacher's length and genre requirements. 

Once this aspect of the unit is completed, students will set their reading and activity completion schedules.The required activities included in the packet are:

1. General Novel Packet with four aspects: Book Notes, Plot Diagram, Memorable Quotes and Theme worksheets
2. Full-length Projects or Essays 
3. Group Project: Threads-Making Connections.

Every day the students will either 

• read for half of the period, or 
• work on their packets for half of the period.

The second half of the period, they will

• participate in a whole class writing session, concentrating on a facet of writing, or 
• discuss various aspects of their chosen novels with peers. 

NOTE: Each student in the group should be reading a different novel. Members take notes on the discussions. These will enable them to complete the Threads-Making Connections activity.

By managing their class time wisely, students will only have to complete any typing they had previously begun, and compile the required activities at home right before the final packets are due. They should bind all of the components together in some way - a folder with pockets is best.

Teaching time won’t be interrupted and chaotic because of testing when teachers choose this unit plan as their May learning keystone.  Its effectiveness stems from dual factors

• students hold the ownership for what they are learning, and 
• when they are learning. 

Teachers do need to 

• specify minimum length, genre and anything else they deem necessary for their charges.
• mentor students’ progress with mini-conferences where students bring their partially completed required work to discuss.

And you, my teacher friends, will appreciate the fact that your students are challenging themselves mentally as they increase their reading comprehension, their critical thinking and their writing skills with substantive activities and no loss of learning continuity.

Making the Most of May, which is aligned with Common Core Standards and Bloom's Raxonomy, includes detailed Teacher Notes and a Project Grading Rubric.

Download Making the Most of May from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Reading-Comprehension-Activities-Making-the-Most-of-May-681650 ($), and


Enjoy a month of Teach It Now days,

News Flash – "Journalism Activity Bundle" Simplifies Teacher Planning!

"It's that time of year

When Fall course schedules appear,

And some teachers scramble to see

If newspaper sponsors they will be."

by Keith Naquin

Whether you have chosen to take on the responsibility of teaching journalism and sponsoring the school newspaper, or whether you have been asked to do so, between now and the opening of a new school year, your emotions will run the gamut from , "I can't wait!" to "What did I do?".

Saying, "Yes," to shouldering any new course, no matter the subject area can subdue the staunchest classroom leader, but taking on the obligation of a publishing class can be downright daunting. Teachers who are veterans of their own high school or college newspapers find that when sitting on the other side of the desk, questions blossom quicker than spring pollen. 

Where do I even start planning?

The school has only outdated texts and won't buy new ones. 

What do I teach? In what order of importance? 

Where do I find lessons?

How often should the class publish a newspaper- once a quarter, once a month?

Let me start with that last question first. When I became the school's journalism teacher and newspaper sponsor, my predecessor's student staff had been putting out one paper a quarter.  The incredibly motivated staff that I inherited desperately wanted to aim for once a month, so that's what we did.

Needless to say, that first month I felt like a hamster on a wheel that kept spinning faster and faster as Deadline Day loomed, because I had to create lessons for the separate Journalism 1 class and teach them while I inspired the Journalism 2,3,4 students through their planning and  researching articles and designing the layouts.  But we made deadline, sending the layouts to the printer with an hour to spare.

Oh, did I mention handling old and new advertisers, dealing with the printer's contract and learning the school's policy regarding financing and administrative review? Since these three topics differ from school district to school district, you will need to find answers to these very important questions. Let me suggest that you clarify these matters before this school year ends. You will be busy enough in the fall settling into your teaching and publishing routine to deal with these vital issues.

Now, for some relief from all of your concerns about creating lessons, browse through my Journalism Grades 6-12 category in my Teachers pay Teachers store

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Connie/Category/Journalism-grades-6-12. You will find 15 products that you may purchase separately - ranging from my Journalism Whole Course Year Overview and Lesson Ideas  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journalism-Whole-Course-Year-Overview-and-Lesson-Ideas-45173 

to  Journalism: Reporting Practice Worksheets 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journalism-Reporting-Practice-Worksheets-38551 

to Journalism Article & Layout Rubric & Guidelines https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journalism-Article-Layout-Rubric-Guidelines-83579.

Or...or... you can purchase all 15 in my 94-page Journalism Activities Bundle 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Journalism-Activities-Bundle-1775930, and save yourself $10.00.  All of these lessons and activities are direct results of my decade as the Journalism 1-4 teacher and newspaper sponsor. I  tested, revised and retaught them  many times over the years.

When you add any or all of these lessons to your repertoire, send me some Feedback if you would like my email address.  I will be glad to talk with you about any teaching or publishing concerns you have or that might crop up during your first year teaching this course. If you would like to see a lesson on any journalism topic, let me know and I will create onet. Right now I am working on one about headlines.

On a very important note, be sure to check with the current journalism teacher for any lessons and activities. If this person will still be at your school in the fall, also discuss whether he/she will mentor you for the first few weeks or so until the journalism gene settles into your system.

Most of all, enjoy this exciting, energizing and yes, even the deadline stress. I hope that you will fand it as rewarding as I did.

As Edward R. Murrow would say, 

"Good Night, and Good Luck,"

Enjoy a Teach It Now Day - Every Day

31 ELA Writing Activities - "March Maneuvers - Sprint Into Spring"

Mother Nature continues to imprison much of the country in her wintry grip on this first day of March. Teachers are desperate for a few academic ice picks that will chip away the, doldrums encasing their students' brains and freezing their motivation to learn. Thirty-one Common Core aligned writing activities aimed to tone up students’ - and teachers’ -  winter-weary brains will do the trick.  

Teachers, say, "Hello!" to March Maneuvers - Sprint into Spring -  just the chisels you need to engage, inspire and motivate your students during Mother Nature's, "Which Season Am I- Winter or Spring?" month.

What's Included

• Thirty-One writing activities with directions and writing requirements
• A March calendar of celebrations with at least 2 events per day for each day of the month.


5 Sample Activities
1. Choose one of the celebrations under today’s date. Even if you don’t know why this topic became a day of celebration, imagine a reason for its existence. Explain the: Who, what, where, when and why behind its formation. Also discuss any ways people celebrate this day.
2. Write a persuasive essay that supports either promoting or abolishing this celebration.
3. Research the real reason this day came to exist. Explain the: Who, what, where, when, why and how behind its formation. Also discuss any ways people celebrate this day.
4. Choose a character from the literature you are currently studying and show his/her opinion about this day. Be sure that you are writing from this character’s point of view and not your own. 
5. Compose a scene from a book that creates a word picture of a fervent follower of this holiday. 

*General Writing Activity Project
1. Following the teacher’s time-frame and specific requirements for this project, create an

  advertising campaign for this holiday that includes newspaper/magazine, radio and television ads. 
2. *Create three recipes for this day to share on a Food Network show. They can be appetizers, snacks, main dishes, soups, salads, desserts or sides, but no more than two can be from the same category. See the complete list of activities (31) and a March calendar with over 135 Celebrations when you download this product from 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Activities-March-Maneuvers-Sprint-into-Spring-584169.

Think warm breezes and sunny days with March Maneuvers - Sprint into Spring

Happy Teaching,

TEACH IT WRITE - BUILD POWERFUL ACADEMIC HOMES